Viet Nam observes the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

Strengthening disaster preparedness at the household level

The 2026 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, designated by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), carries the theme “Resilience Starts at Home.” The theme highlights every household's role in proactively preparing for disasters, reducing risks, and strengthening resilience.

According to UNDRR, homes are where people are directly affected when disasters strike, and where resilience must be built in advance. Governments play a role by incorporating disaster risks into land-use planning, enforcing safe building standards and ensuring that risk information reaches communities. The private sector influences decisions on housing locations, construction methods, financing and insurance. Households need the knowledge and resources to identify local hazards, prepare response plans, and take early action when warnings are issued.

This year’s theme also emphasizes reducing inequalities in access to information and strengthening household preparedness, ensuring that early warnings reach everyone at risk and that people know what actions to take when warnings are issued.

The 2026 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction commemoration ceremony will be held on October 13, 2026, at Hanoi National University of Education, with approximately 1,000 participants. Attendees will include leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, representatives of the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security, United Nations agencies, international organizations, members of the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership, the university’s leadership, students and representatives of relevant agencies and organizations.

The event aims to review lessons learned in disaster prevention, search and rescue, and emergency response, while promoting the message “Act Early – Strengthen Disaster Preparedness at Every Household.” The initiative seeks to build resilience at both household and community levels. The event will also recognize the outstanding contributions of international organizations to disaster risk reduction in Vietnam.

Educational and communication activities promote disaster preparedness

Throughout October, the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with ministries, sectors, local authorities and international organizations, is organizing a range of communication, education and awareness-raising activities on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

The preliminary round of the Golden Bell Challenge took place from September 28 to October 6, 2026, in Ninh Binh Province. More than 3,000 students from five schools participated: Tran Phu Lower Secondary School, Tran Quoc Toan Lower Secondary School, Ha Nam Lower Secondary School, B Chau Son Lower Secondary School, and Nguyen Tat Thanh Lower and Upper Secondary School.

The final round took place on October 9 at Nguyen Tat Thanh Lower and Upper Secondary School, a campus of Hanoi National University of Education in Ninh Binh Province, featuring 100 outstanding contestants selected from the preliminary round. The organizers presented one first prize, one second prize, one third prize and 10 consolation prizes, along with team awards recognizing schools for their active participation, support and promotion of positive messages.

In September 2026, the Competition on Developing and Delivering Lessons on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation was launched for students at teacher-training institutions. The organizers received more than 200 entries from four universities: Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi Pedagogical University 2, Hanoi Metropolitan University and Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.

After the preliminary round, organizers selected 10 outstanding lessons for the final, held on October 12, 2026, at Hanoi National University of Education. Teams from the four universities developed lessons covering three main themes: children's rights and safety during disasters; disaster prevention, preparedness and response; and climate change adaptation and environmentally friendly practices. Schools can also use the lessons to share knowledge and skills with students and communities.

The “Dance Storm – Disaster Response Dance” competition was launched among more than 19,000 students, youth union members and association members at Hanoi National University of Education. Fifteen outstanding teams competed in the final on October 9, 2026, at the university.

Here, participating teams used various art forms, including dance, contemporary dance, hip-hop, musical theatre and flash mobs, to convey the theme “Disaster Resilience: Starts at Home.” The performances focused on promoting proactive disaster preparedness, building resilience within each household, and fostering a sense of responsibility and solidarity across communities.